Automatic punch-press feed



March 4, 1930. PIERCE 1,749,505

AUTOMATIC PUNCH PRESS FEED Filed March 5, 1925 4 s t s t 1 March 4, 1930. E. M. PIERCE AuromA'rfc PUNCH PRESS FEED Filed March 5, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 4, 1930. E. M. PIERCE AUTOMATIC PUNCH PRESS FEED Filed March 5, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 gwoemtoz March 4, 1930.

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E. M. PIERCE AUTOMATIC PUNCH PRESS FEED Filed March 5, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 4, 1930 EDWARD M. rrnncn, or nnyromonro AUTOMATIC PUNCH-PRESS FEED Application filed March 5, 1925. Serial No. 13,136.

Thisinventionrelates to automatic stock feeding devices for punch presses and the like. It has. been proposed heretofore to provide 7 automatic. feeds for unch pressesandysimilair machines, but'so fir a sI am'informed the only, devicesofothis kinditogo into general-use have been roll" or-ratchet feed devices, which are not'only very expensive toconstruct and maintainin operation, butare very difficult of adjustment to accommodate thesame to various widths of feed andt-o different thicknesses ofmaterial. And, further, they arenotusual- 1y posi ive in their feed, and there is liableto be avariationin the amountofstock advanced upon eaehi perationthereon One object. of; the present inventi n is to provide an automatic feeding device which will positively ad anc agivenxlength of materialiupon eachoperation thereof.

2o 7 Another object-oft e invention is to provide dev ce-0f: this kind whichv will: operate without adjustment on materials of various th cknesses: 5 r I ur h r Obj ct Qf heinv n ion-is coprovide ade c Q 'thiskind i h w l au mat ally commodat tse t variation nth hic ne aor ur ce, t h ma rial-o Ano her. bject Qf' hfi invent o s v p videa der ceof thiskindiwhi hiwill eed w h Lio equalaccura y stock-0fvariou w hsf urtherobject o-f the inventionistjo provi e adevice f this in l w iehc n quick: o y and ea i y djusted ovary t e g h of to kadranmd peneaehepera io 5; Other objects of, theinvention willjappear as he Q i B sdescri ed nsdetail.

nith accomp y ng draw n s 515 a s ele ati n o a ree i e' d v embodying my,invention showing the, same as applied to apunchpress. I p ,Fig. 2 isa, plan view ofthefeeding device and its peratingmechanism, o

Fig. Bis alongitudinal-seQtional view taken 01111 16 line 3- of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of thearrows.

Fig. aisa perspective view of thefeeding d ic n openan Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the upper groupofgripping elements elevated.

"In thes d aw ngs I hav ll stratedone a common axis, and adapted to receive the embodiment of my invention, andhave shown the same as applied to a punch press of a known construction, but it will be understood that not only may the mechanism itself take various forms, but that it may be applied to punch presses of various kinds or to other machines to which stock is to be fed in a similar manner, either in strips or ribbons.

In the particular form of the invention here illustrated, I have shown the punch press as comprising a ram 1, adapted to carry the punch 2 which cooperates with a die 3 mounted on a bed plate 4.

In applying the invention to such a machine, I provide a stock gripping element to d which reciprocatory movement is imparted by the movement of the operating part of the mechanism, which in the presentinstance is the ram 1. This stock gripping element comprises one or more jaws 5, pivotally mounted 7 0 and having their gripping surfaces so shaped with relation to their axes as to provide cam surfaces which will grip the stock upon the forward movement of the gripping element, and will release the same upon the rearward movement thereof. The gripping device may be of such a character that it will act upon one surfaceonly of the stock, the latter being supported upon a fixed part, or a plane, which cooperates with the pivoted gripping jaw, or jaws. I prefer, however, to provide the gripping device with two sets of gripping elements, arranged to engage respectively the upper and lower surfaces of the stock as in this way a more positive feed is secured, there being less likelihood of slippage of the gripping elements on the stock. Preferably each gripping element comprises a series of relatively narrow jaws mounted on stock to be fed between them. The gripping elements as a whole are of relative great width so as to accommodate the same to any width of stock within the limits of the widths thereof, but only such gripping members, or e5 jaws, as lie within the width of the stock will be operative. In the construction herein shown, the upper gripping element comprises a series of jaws 5 pivotally mounted on a shaft 6-mounted at itsv end in end blocks, or

ally mounted on a shaft 8 supportedat its ends in bearings 9, carried by a supporting structure, which as here shown, consists of a jaws naledin the end blocks 11. The several jaws upon the stock, thus causing the plate 10 having at its respective ends bearing blocks 11 on which the bearings 9 are formed. Each of the jaws 5 is capable of movement about its aXis independently of the other jaws and is held normally in its lowermost, or operative position by gravity, or a spring 12 bearing thereon. As here shown, 12 for the several jaws are mounted on a shaft or rod 13, mounted in the upper portions of the end blocks 7 and serving also as a tie rod for the frame of the gripping element. Each spring is coiled about the rod 13 and secured at one end thereto, the other end projecting forwardly and bearing upon-the upper surface of its jaw. Where a lower gripping element is employed, it is similar in character to the upper gripping element and as here shown, comprises a corresponding series of 14: pivotally mounted on a shaft 15 jour- 14 are provided with individual springs 16 carried by a shaft 17. These jaws may, however, be operated by gravity; Both the rods 13 and 17 are capable of rotary movement to regulate the tension of the springs, this'being accomplished by loosening the nuts 18 and 19 on the ends of the rods, rotating the rod in the desired direction and then again tightening down thenuts. The gripping faces of the lower jaws 1a are arranged substan tially in the planeof the upper surface of the supportingstructure or plate 10, and I also prefer that. the jaws of one set shall be ofiset or staggered with relation to the jaws of the other set so as to bridge the spaces 0 between the jaws of the other set, although this is not essential to the operating of the device. It will be apparent, therefore, that when the stock is thrust from the rear on the outer end of the device over the table or plate 10 between the jaws 5 and 1% these jaws will yield topermit its passage in a forward direction but will remain in direct engagement therewith and will firmly gripthe stock when the feeding device as a whole is moved forwardly or any rearward thrust is exerted stock to move with the gripping device. Inasmuch as the jaws are constantly in engagement with the surfaces of the stock they will grip the same instantly upon the forward movement being impartedto the feeding device and there will be no slippage of the jaws on the stock end, consequently the stock will be advanced the exact distance that the feeding device is moved. If desired, the gripping faces of the jaws may be serrated to give them a better gripping action on the stock. Because of the narrow. width of the jaws and their individual movement it will be apparent that they will accommodate themselves to the springs anyv unevenness in the surfaces of the stock and to any variations in the thickness thereof, and consequently, the stock will be gripped uniformly throughout its width regardless of.

any such variations. The upper feeding element'is movable into an inoperative position to render the feedingdevice inoperative in case it should be desirable to feed stock'to the press or other machines-by hand. This is accomplished by merely swinging the gripping elementas a whole about its pivotal suport on the shaft 8. Fastening devices, such I as the latches20 are mounted on the gripping the bearing blocks 11 to retain the upper element and adapted to engage studs 21 011 gripping element normally in its operative position.

The supporting structure, or carriage, for the feedlng device is mounted for reciprocal movement, and as here shown, the bearing blocks 11 are provided with longitudinal bores 22 to receive guides, or" rods 22, which are rigidly secured to the adjacent edge of the bedplate tof the press, so that the supporting structure, orcarriage, may have free sliding movement thereon. In order that the supporting structure, or carriage may be adjusted vertically to accommodate it to dies of different heights, or for other purposes, I have shown the guide rods22 as carried by supporting brackets 23 adjustably mounted on the forward edge of'the bed plate, this being accomplished in the present instances by providing the bracket with vertical slots 24 to receive bolts, or screws 25 which extend through the slots and into the bed plate 4.

Reciprocal movement may be'imparted to the supporting structure or carriage, in" various ways, but preferably it is operably connected with the ram, or other operating part of the machine. In the construction herein shown, a slide block or hearing 26, see Figs. 1 and 2, ispivotally mounted on one end of the shaft 8 and provided with a longitudinal bore in which 1 an operating rod 27 is slidably mounted, the movement of the rod relatively I nected at its forward end with one arm 32 I of a bell crank lever which is pivotally mount ed on a stud 33 rigidly secured to and proj ecti'ng from the frame of the machine. The connection is preferably a pivotal one so that the arm 32 can move both about a vertical axis and about a horizontal axis relatively to the operating rod 27. ,Further, the connection may be adjusted to permit the length of movement of the rod 27 to be varied. As here shown, the arm 32 is journalled in a bearing 34: adjustable lengthwise on rod 27 27 and the arm 32. It

and bearing 34 is held between fixed collars 35 rigidly secured to the arm by means of set screws or the like. The other arm 36 of the bell crank lever is connected with a rod or arm, 37, pivotally mounted at 38 on theram or other movable part, and extending therefrom- The connection between the arm 36 and rod '37 is such that the two arms may have relative pivotal 36 will be held ata fixed distance from the axis of the arms 37. This connection is also preferably pivoted and adjustable in the same manner as is the connection between the rod will be apparent, therefore, that the vertical reciprocatory movement of the ram will impart horizontal reciprocatory movement to the feeding device and that the length of this movement will be regulated by adjusting the points of connection between the arm of the bell crank lever and the operating rod 27 and the rod 37 respectively. If it is desirable a stop. 39 may be adjustably mounted on one or both of the guide rods 22 to prevent the supporting structure or carriage from moving rearward after the operating rod 27 has reached the limit of its movement due to inertia or other causes.

In the operation of the device the movement of the lower end of the bell crank arm 32 and the operating rod 27 is usually greater than the length ofmovement it is desired to impart to the feeding device, this movement being regulated as above explained. To adjust the feeding device to a given length of movement the ram is moved to theuppermost limit of its movement, after which the feedingdevice is moved into contact with the supporting brackets 23. The stop or collar 39011 the guide rod 22 is then spaced from the carriage or supporting structure, a d1stance equal; to the distance it is desired to advance the stock upon each operation of the device, and is rigidly secured to the rod. The rear stop 28 on the operating rod 27 is moved into contact with the bearing block 26 and is secured in that position. The press is then turned to. move the ram to its lowermost position and the carriage or supporting structure is moved rearwardly manually and intocontact with the stop 39 and the forward stop or collar 29 on the rod 27 is then set against the forward end of the bearing block 26, thus establishing the limits of movement of the operating rod withrelation to the supporting structure or carriage. Upon the next upward movement of the ram the operating rod will move forwardly until the rear stop 28 engages the bearing block 26-and the feeding'device as a whole will then be advanced to'the limit of its movement, which limit will be reached when the ram reaches its uppermost position. Upon the next downward movement of the ram the rod 27 will slide in the bearing'until the stop 29 engages movement, but the arm the same and the supporting structure or carriage, will be moved to its rearmost position, where its movement is positively checked by the stop 39 on the guide rod 22. It willbe apparent, therefore, that the adjustment-of the feeding device to accommodate the same to different feeding operations may be very quickly-and easily accomplished. "I have also provided the device with means for so resisting the movement of the stock that it will not be carried forward by inertia after the feeding device has reached the forward limit of its movement, and which also tends to prevent the rearward movement of the stock when the feeding device is retracted. As here shown, a plate 40 ismounted on the bed plate 4 of the press and has its upper surface arranged substantially in the plane of the plate 10 of the supporting structure. The two plates may bear any suitable relation oneto the other, but I have in the pres.- ent instance, shown them as a separate plate. Mounted upon the plate 40 adjacent to the rear edge thereof is a bar or plate 41, which is yieldably held in contact with the plate 40 or in contact with the stock which may be inserted between the two plates. As here shown, the upper plate 41 is slidably mounted on pins 42 and springs 43 are coiled about these pins and confined between the plate 41 and adjustable stops at the outer ends of the pins, thus exerting a yielding pressure on the upper plate and causing the two plates to frictionally engage the stock. The frictional resistance to the movement of the stock is not sufficient to interfere with its proper movement but will prevent it from moving independently of the operativemovement of the feeding device. The adjacent corners in the rear edges'of the plates 40 and 41 are preferably bevelled to facilitate the entrance of the stock. To prevent the rearward movement of the stock due to the drag of the jaws thereon it may under certain conditions, be desirable to provide means to positively prevent this rearward movement of the stock and I have,in the present instance, provided the device with such means. As here shown, the means to prevent the rearward movement of the stock, which may be called a detent, is similar in construction to the upper gripping element of the feeding device and comprises a series of jaws 44 individually mounted on a shaft 45 which in turn is mounted in end plates 46, the individual jaws being acted upon by gravity or springs 47 carried by a rod 48 also mounted in the end plates 46. Theend plates are mounted on a shaft 49 which in turn is mounted in bearings 50 carried by the forward portion of the plate 40. The jaws of this device are normally so arranged with relation to the plate 40 that they will coact therewithto grip the stock and prevent anyrearward movement thereofbut will yieldeasily topermit the forward movement of the stock. The detent device may be moved bodily into an inoperative position if it is desired to feed stock to the press or other ma' plates: but the connections are such that it can be adjusted vertically to accommodate the same to the adjustments of the supporting structure, or'carriage, of the feeding device. As here shown, the plate 4.0 is carried by four bolts which extend through the bed plate 40 and spacing sleeves 53 are mounted on the bolts between the bed plate l and the plate 40 to hold the latter inits properly spaced relation to the bed plate. To enable the plate 40 to be adjusted vertically the spacing collars or sleeves, are relatively short and a series of shims 54 are mounted about each bolt be- 1 tween the end of the sleeve and one of the plates. By loosening the bolts and increasing or decreasingthe number of shims the height of the plate 40 can be readily adjusted.

The operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description of the several parts thereof and it will be apparent that I have provided a stock feeding device which is very simple in its operation, which. can be produced at a relat-ively small cost,

andwhich can be quickly and easily adjusted to enable it to feed stock different distances; which requires no adjustment to accommodate it to stock of different thicknesses, but will automatically accommodate itself to variations in the thickness of'the stock or to variations in the surface thereof; which will act with equal positiveness on stock of all widths within its limits; which can be quickly and easily adjusted to accommodate the same to the heights ofdifierent dies or other machine conditions, and which can be easily moved into an inoperative position to enable stock to be fed by hand should this be desired.

While Ihave shown and described one embodiment of my invention I wish it to be understoodthat I do not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art.

I-I'aving fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a stock feeding device, a supporting structure mounted for reciprocatorymovement, a gripping element carried by said structure and comprising a plurality of independently movable jaws pivotally adjacently mounted on a common axis, said jaws each having a rounded work contacting face adapted to grip stock of substantially different thicknesses, means carried by said to permit it to be moved bodily operative position.

structure ,to urgingly' support the stock in contact with said jaws, said jaws being so arranged that the movement of said structure in one direction will cause them to grip the stock and the movement of said structure in the opposite direction, will cause them to release the'stock. j

2. In a stock feeding device, a supporting structure mounted for reciprocatory movement, opposed gripping elements carried by said structure and each comprising ajaw, means holding said jaws yieldably in engage ment. with the respective surfaces of the stock, and said jaws being so arranged that the movement of said structure in one direction will cause them to grip the stock between them and the movement of said structure in the other direction will cause them to release the stock.

3. In a stock feeding device, a supporting structure mounted for reciprocatory movement, opposed gripping elements carried by said structure and-each comprisinga plurality of independently movable pivoted jaws,

them and the movement of said structure in the opposite direction will cause them to release said stock.

structure mounted forreciprocatory movement, opposed gripping elements carried by said structure and each comprising a jaw having a rounded work gripping face, means holding said face yieldably in engagement with the respective surfaces of the stock, said jaws being so arranged that the'movement of said structure in one direction will cause,

them to grip the stock between them and the movement of said structure in the other direction, will cause them to release the stock,

one of said gripping elements being pivotally mounted on said supporting structure into an in- 5. In a stock feeding device, a supporting structure mounted for reciprocatory movement, a gripping element comprising end blocks carried by said supporting structure, a shaft mounted on said end blocks, a plurality of jaws having curved work engaging V faces pivotally mounted on'said shaft for movement relative one to the other, a rod mounted in said end blocks, and a plurality of springs carried by said rod and acting on the respective jaws to hold them individually yieldably in engagement with the stock, and means carried by said structure to urg- 4. In a stock feeding device, a supporting ingly support the stock in contact with said jaws. r

6. In a stock feeding device, a supporting plate,

structure mounted for reciprocatory movement and comprising a stock supporting two gripping elements mounted in opposed relation at one edge of said plate, each of said gripping elements comprising a shaft and plurality of jaws having rounded work gripping faces pivotally mounted on said I shaft for movement relative one tothe other and having their gripping faces held yieldably in engagement with the respective surfaces of the stock, the jaws of one of said gripping elements having their working faces arranged approximately in the plane of the upper surfaces of said plate and the jaws of the other gripping element having their working faces arranged at an angle to the upper surface of said stock.

7. In a stock feeding device, a supporting structure mounted for reciprocatory movement and comprising I a stock' supporting plate, two gripping elements mounted in opposed relation to one edge of said plate, each of said gripping elements comprising a shaft, a plurality of jaws pivotally mounted on said shaft for movement relative one to the other and having their gripping faces held yieldably in engagement with the respective surfaces of the stock, the jaws of one of said gripping elements having their work gripping faces arranged approximately in the plane of the upper surface ofsaid plate, and the other of said gripping elements being pivotally mounted for movement to an inoperative position with relation mentioned gripping elements;

8. In a stock feeding device, a supporting structure mounted for reciprocatory movement and comprising a stock 7 supporting to the first plate, two gripping elements mounted in op-' posed relation at one edgeof said plate, each a of said gripping elements comprising a shaft and a plurality of jaws pivotally mounted on said shaft for movement relative one to the other, the jaws of one of said gripping elements having their faces arranged approximately in the plane of the upper surface of said plate, and the jaws of one of said gripping elements being staggered with relation to the jaws of the other gripping element.

9. In a stock feeding device, a reciprocatory supporting structure, a gripping element carried by said structure to move the stock therewith when said structure is moved 'in'one direction, means for imparting reciprocatory movement to said structure, superimposed plates arranged beyond the limit of movement of said supporting structure and adapted to receive the stock between them and means acting on one of said plates to cause it to frictionally engage said stock, and a detent arranged beyondsaid last mentioned plate and having a cam face to yieldably engage the stock to hold the same against rearward movement.

10. In a stock feeding device, a reciprocatory supporting structure, a gripping element mounted on said supporting structure and comprising a plurality of independently movable jaws mounted on a common axis, means to hold said jaws yieldably in engagement with the stock, said supporting structure having means to support the stock in engagement with said jaws, a retarding device to prevent the movement of said stock after said supporting structure has reached the limit of its forward movement, and a detent comprising a stock supporting plate, a plurality of jaws pivotally mounted above said plate for movement relative one to the other, and means for holding said jaws yieldably in engagement with said stock.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWARD M. PIERCE. 

